Mario Crossing
by Fezzes64
Summary: After a few familiar faces 'crash by', Mario, Peach, and two others are forced to move to a strange place called 'Animal Town', and even though there are odd people and strange ways of living, Mario and Peach have yet to find all the valuble memories to be made here in the world of Animal Crossing.
1. A new meaning for 'Crash'

Mario Crossing

Chapter 1: A new meaning for 'Crash'

Normally, a Sunday is supposed to be relaxing, right? Well, I've never had one Sunday that was ever relaxing, yet this one was different.

"Mmm?" I asked sleepily.

I always did that for some reason, making some sort of sound when I woke up. Whether it was habit, or something else, I didn't know.

I was in Peach's castle as usual, since she had insisted on Luigi and I living here instead of the house we had chosen, and I knew for a fact that I was in a bed, yet, something was off. Then I remembered. Luigi wasn't here. He had been invited by Daisy to stay for a couple of weeks at Daisy's castle in Sarasaland for whatever reasons Daisy had in mind, so that left Peach and I as the only humans in the Mushroom Kingdom.

I sat up slowly, allowing my eyes to adjust to the bright light, and I took a deep breath. Hopefully Bowser decided to sleep in.

I soon swung my legs off the bed, and got dressed into my usual. As soon as I had topped it all off with my red hat, I went downstairs to see what the Toads had decided to make for breakfast today.

Normally, I never would have accepted this kind of luxury, the castle, everything being done for you, but Peach had insisted, so, in order not to be rude, I was forced to accept. Even so, I didn't see how she wanted _me_ in her castle. It made me feel like a burden.

I had made it to the dining room to hear a loud sizzling in the kitchen. Perhaps I was too early? I peeked through the door to the kitchen (Which was almost too tall for me) to see Peach cooking instead of the Toads.

Ducking before she could see me, I raced back up the stairs, and took an immediate left. Catching my breath, I looked back and wondered why the heck I did that. I guess maybe I didn't want Peach to catch me looking at her. I shrugged it off and walked on, moving down the hall as to not seem suspicious.

I found myself outside the music room, where Peach kept all of her instruments. It was my favorite room, since I played almost every instrument that was in here.

I moved to the nearest one I saw; piano, and started playing random chords. I liked how one middle note could fit so well with a note higher and lower than itself, and how if you played multiple chords, than the sound could braid together in perfect harmony…if no dissonance was involved. The piano is harder than many think; it's not just random keys you push, it's an art, the way you find the perfect note at the perfect time. There is a reason Beethoven was so famous.

As I had thought of this, I realized I had gotten into the song that was set up on the piano. It was something called 'The Four Seasons: Winter' by Vivaldi. The notes fit together like puzzle pieces to make a sound in its high range to sound like ice and snow, although it's hard to describe how something so cold could have a sound.

As I finished and made a move to get up, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Looking at who it was, I realized it was Toadette.

"Good morning, Mr. Mario," she said sweetly.

"And to you, Miss Toadette," I replied. She blushed slightly as I said this.

If anybody called me 'Mr. Mario', I told them it was unnecessary by addressing them the same way.

"Peach wishes for you to come down and have breakfast."

After she said that, she raced out of the room.

I walked down the stairs a second time for the same exact purpose, and was greeted by the smell of pancakes, muffins, bacon, eggs, and almost everything I could think of that would make a good breakfast.

"Good morning, Mario!" said a voice cheerfully.

Turning, I noticed Peach standing there. I acknowledged her with a nod.

"Good morning, princess." Okay, maybe I wasn't _that_ cheerful.

"Want something to eat? I let all the Toads have a day off today-"

A loud boom and many screams interrupted her, and everyone in the room turned to see a gigantic metal vehicle crashing through the room.

Quick to act, I flipped behind Peach and picked her up bridal style to keep her out of harm's way. As soon as the whole thing emerged from the outside, three figures leapt out.

"…I _told_ you not to drive! _I'm_ the only one who knows how to, and _now_ look who's gone and done it!" shouted a rather short man dressed in black with gray gloves and boots who looked a lot like Luigi.

"Hey! Excuuuse me, princess!" retorted an elf with a green tunic.

"Dude, where in the name of golden rings are we?" a blue hedgehog on two legs asked. Simultaneously, they turned to Peach, the Toads and I.

"Oh, hey Mario!" shouted Sonic.

"Yeah, Link here took over driving Brobot when I specifically told him not to, and now we…crash landed…" Mr. L said, snarling 'crash landed' at Link.

"It was all an acci…dent…" Link said meekly, perishing under my death stare.

Without putting Peach down, I took a step towards them. Link and Sonic were both my roommates along with Marth during the time we spent at The Smash Mansion for Smash season, and both usually acted very idiotic. I couldn't see any difference now.

"So, Mario, would you mind telling us where we are…?" Link said timidly.

"Where do you think we are, genius?" hissed Mr. L.

I didn't blame Mr. L or Sonic, since according to them, Link had taken control of Brobot.

"You mean to tell me…" I started, setting Peach down on her feet behind me, yet never losing eye contact with Link.

"That just because some_ doofus_ took control of a ship that we have to suffer the consequences? I don't find that very fair, especially not to the princess." I growled, taking another step towards Link.

Mr. L suddenly took a cautious step backwards.

"Mario, we'll fix Peach's castle; you and Peach just go and relax somewhere and let us do the work; Link can suffer 'Your wrath' afterwards…o-okay…?" Sonic suggested. He seemed to know I disapproved of the idea

I shifted my gaze to him and considered it.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Before any of them could answer, everyone heard someone shouting outside.

"Hey! Guys! Where'd you go-" he stopped abruptly, and then we saw him walk in through the hole Brobot made. Marth.

"Link! What happened?" he asked.

Taking one look at me staring the trio down, he appeared to understand the situation.

"Mario? They didn't-"

"They did."

"…Oh."

There was an awkward moment of silence as Marth and I stared at Link.

"…Well, Mario, you can trust Marth, so you can go…right?"

"Keep in mind that Marth is in charge," I spat bitterly. I then realized that Peach hadn't said a word, or, for that matter, had any say.

I looked back at her, and she nodded, an angry expression on her face, glaring daggers at Link. I had taken the words right out of her mouth.

Shooting one last searing look at Link, I turned and walked towards Peach and took her hand. She accepted my lead, and we walked down the hall and back upstairs. I eventually stopped, and I faced her.

"Mario," she said slowly.

"Yes, princess?"

"We have to leave the castle, since the part of the castle that was destroyed had connected our communication panel, our water line, and our source of power."

As if on cue, the lights went out, and since we were in a windowless hallway, neither of us could see.

"P-princess?" I nearly yelled in confusion.

"Mario? W-where are you?"

I walked forward, and so did she, and we bumped into each other, falling over in surprise. I didn't move, in fear of hurting her. I felt something just barely brush over the area just beside my stomach.

"Mario, that is you, right?" Peach asked, a hint of dread in her voice, as if afraid she was touching something she shouldn't.

"You're touching my waist," I informed softly.

I heard a sigh of relief, and her hand traced up my side slowly until she got to my arm, and then she moved a finger to my face. As soon as she confirmed where she was touching me, she held my face with both hands.

In response, I reached forward and placed my own hand on her shoulder, and descended to her waist. I pulled her close to me and picked her up again.

"I'll try to get us to another hallway," I murmured faintly, and walked forward. I made it about a few feet before Peach whispered "Stop."

I shifted her in question.

"I'm holding my hand out, and you just bumped into a wall."

I tried not to say something stupid, which would reveal my embarrassment. I was blushing heavily, that much I knew.

"Turn to the right."

I obeyed, and suddenly, I saw a light. I realized it was window light, and started moving slowly towards it. The darkness was scaring me for some reason, and I had absolutely no idea why.

Unexpectedly, Peach buried her face into my shoulder. As soon as she did that, I took off at full speed, fearing that something was chasing us, something was frightening her, and soon, I burst into the light.

At peace, I walked into the light, and looked at Peach.

"What's wrong, princess?" I asked, worried for her.

She suddenly pulled herself away from my shoulder so fast, it seemed as if she didn't know she had done that in the first place.

"U-uh…nothing…" she stammered nervously.

I lifted my eyebrow.

"No, really, I guess I just got scared," she insisted.

I decided to let it be for now. Setting her down, we found ourselves gradually making our way toward the dining room again to check how Mr. L, Link, Marth and Sonic were doing. Just as we rounded the corner to the stairs, there was a loud 'Bang', and some shouts, and then a flash of black and blue flew up the stairs and landed next to us. Mr. L and Sonic moaned in pain and made an attempt to stand up, but couldn't do so until Peach and I rushed to help.

"Um…What happened…?" Peach asked.

Sonic answered, since, helping Mr. L up, I noticed he seemed to have too high a temper to answer.

"Link blew up Brobot…Mr. L is not happy, especially since Count Bleck hasn't let him have a day off since he decided to remodel the castle…" Sonic informed, rubbing the top of his head.

Peach and I looked at Mr. L, and he nodded.

"Hmm…."Peach said, seeming to be having a mental debate. "Sonic, Mr. L, how would you guys like to come with Mario and I to Animal Town?" she suddenly asked.

Sonic and I gave her a questioning look, and Mr. L was too busy favoring his arm to acknowledge her inquiry.

She noticed we didn't know what she was talking about, so she continued.

"Animal Town is a place where many people move to live on their own, in the world of Animal Crossing, and I have a few contacts there who told me to come over if I had any problems, and I think this is something they would want me to come for." She explained.

Sonic and I nodded slowly, and Mr. L said "Sure."

Peach instructed us to take a few essentials, such as blankets, towels, and even books, since we wouldn't need much. We didn't even need to bring coins since the people at Animal Town had a different system of money. Peach had provided everything for Sonic and Mr. L since Sonic had left everything he owned on our moon, Sega, and she found it pointless for Mr. L to run all the way back to Castle Bleck to get these small items.

Eventually, we walked to a pipe that would lead to the Animal Crossing world, and, jumping in, we all found ourselves at a bus stop, and the bus was almost here.

As soon as it stopped, Peach immediately went on it, signaling for the rest of us to come. Sonic followed her, looking around in it. He'd never ridden a bus before. Mr. L stalked inside, going to the back. Very typical of him. I went in last, and was just about to step toward a seat, when the bus driver spoke. I hadn't seen him, hidden in a shadow, but now I saw him in full light.

"Ahoy there, lad! Nice of ye to come up here! 'Ole Kapp'n ha'nt seen a bunch like ye in _ages_! Yar, har har har! Jus' kiddn', so, where's your des'ination goin' be, now?" asked a strange looking turtle.

**Hey, there! I got this idea for a story while playing Animal Crossing…Very typical, I know, and I have a few people here who are actually authors, including me, so…Two things, 1: I will not be accepting OC's I this story, for it is my ONLY one(So far) on a tight script. 2: This has NOTHING to do with any of my other stories, so when you see my OC, Mario and Peach will not recognize her since they've never seen her before, yet they know her in 'The First Time', when my OC is first introduced. Thanks,**

**~Fezzes64**


	2. Animal Town

Chapter 2: Animal Town

"U-Uh…" was all I could get out. Who was this strange turtle? How did he know English? How did he know how to _drive a bus_ for that matter? I nearly fell out of the vehicle in surprise, but caught myself.

"We'll be heading for Animal Town, please." Peach said calmly, apparently knowing the strange turtle.

I nodded shakily, and sat down, not realizing that I sat across from Peach. After I did notice, I saw that she was talking to the person next to her, the only other person on the bus that wasn't in our group.

"…So what's up, Peach? And who'd you bring with you?" the person asked. I guessed he was a boy, and peering around Peach, I started in surprise to see he was a blue cat.

"My friends and I came because of some trouble at the castle, and when I remembered your offer, I just thought it would be the perfect place! How is Tom Nook, by the way, Rover?"

The cat called Rover immediately went on about some store keeper who has yet to update his store, and some new people who moved in.

"…And there are humans, too! Two girls and a boy, I believe, and unfortunately, since they moved in, Tom Nook hasn't built another house…I have no idea where you'll live…" Rover said, thinking.

"Maybe we could become roommates or something?" Peach suggested.

"That's brilliant! I think Blossom and Samantha will enjoy your company! William lives alone so far, but he's a very nice fellow when all's said and done! He's actually just finishing a job from the store, I think. Today's his last day."

"Yar, 'Animal Town' be ahead, methinks! Better git packed an' ready!" shouted the turtle from the front of the bus.

"Thanks, Kapp'n!" Rover shouted back. I guessed the Turtle's name was 'Kapp'n'.

Soon, the bus rolled to a halt, and all of us stood up.

"Perhaps when we get off, you could…introduce me to your friends?" Rover asked.

"Sure!" Peach said.

I stepped out of the bus after Sonic, and Mr. L followed. We all stood together, waiting patiently for Peach to come out. She thanked Kapp'n, and Rover led her out.

"Mario, Mr. L, Sonic, this is Rover. He is a citizen of Animal Town, and is a very close friend of mine. Rover, this is Mario, Mr. L, and Sonic The Hedgehog, who are all heroes from the galaxy I come from."

Rover waved happily, and I nodded in acknowledgment.

We stood there for an awkward moment, and the sunny weather suddenly turned cloudy.

"Whoops! I guess we'd better see Tom Nook…" Rover said meekly, walking in a random direction. The rest of us followed him to a wooden shack and he seemed unfazed by the oddness of it. I blinked at it a minute until Rover walked in, gesturing for the rest of us to follow.

Inside, it was dim-lit, and there, standing to oblige for any needs, was a brown raccoon who appeared comical, the way his body was humanoid, but with animal-features such as brown fur and a tail, much like Rover.

"Hey, Tom! Remember Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom?" Rover asked.

"Ah, yes!" Tom replied, smiling at Peach like an old friend. "I see you took up on Rover's offer. Castle problems?" he guessed.

Peach nodded.

"And these friends of yours? Let's see…Mr. L, correct?" Mr. L nodded.

"Sonic The Hedgehog?"

"Yeah."

"And you…Mario, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, since I wasn't expecting any new townsfolk here recently, I don't have any houses prepared for you…However, I know of two houses with people who would be willing to take you folks in for the mean time," Tom Nook explained. "I believe Rover has informed you of this?"

"Yes, Tom Nook." Peach replied.

Tom Nook smiled and made his way around to the back of the store, and when he came back, I noticed he was holding four fishing rods and four nets.

"Since I have no jobs today, you don't have to work at all. I'll give you these, just to get you started."

He then passed each of us a rod and a net, and gestured for us to go outside.

"Come now, it'll rain soon; we don't want you waiting out the rain in here, now do we?"

We all walked outside, and Tom Nook led us throughout the town and down a small ramp-like dip in the area. Soon, we came across a rather large house with a blue roof near the ocean, and, standing back, I watched while Tom Nook knocked on the door.

A girl answered, with light brown hair and soft green glasses. She was wearing a green T-shirt with a flower on it, and jeans, along with greenish eyes and as she saw us, her eyes suddenly turned blue and she turned shouting "Samantha!"

Another girl with darker brown hair and emerald eyes wearing a gray T-shirt soon made an appearance beside the other girl and both gazed at us in question.

"Ah, Blossom!" Tom Nook smiles to the one in green. "And Samantha!" He nodded to the girl in gray. I noticed they weren't very old, and way younger than any of us.

"Hi!" The girl called Blossom said happily.

"Nice to meet you! Now, Tom, why…?" Samantha asked.

Tom Nook laughed.

"Samantha, Blossom, this is Princess Peach, Mario, Mr. L, and Sonic, and all came because of a dilemma back in their kingdom. Since we have no other houses in Animal Town, are you willing to-"

"Of course!" Blossom exclaimed, cutting Tom Nook off. "It was getting a bit lonely anyway! William's visiting right now, so how about you guys come inside?" Blossom suggested.

Tom Nook went inside, and Peach followed, and after her came Sonic, Mr. L, and finally me.

The house was nicely decorated in my opinion, with a wooden floor that had a red rug. It gave a sort of 'Cabin-ish' feel with the way the wall was built, and the furniture had a few designs that matched with each other. There was a red couch, a desk with some books on it, a dresser for some reason, and assorted plants. There were also strange looking cactus-looking things that made strange sounds to the beat of a song playing.

There was a boy sitting in a chair by a wooden table who had brown hair and eyes. He looked about the same age as Blossom and Samantha.

Samantha ushered us all to chairs and soon sat down herself after making sure we were all settled.

"So you are willing to take Princess Peach in with you temporarily, yes?" Tom Nook asked, as I struggled with my fishing rod and net.

"Absolutely!" Samantha answered, smiling widely.

"And William-"

"Please call me Billy," the boy said, and giving an apologetic look for interrupting.

Tom Nook nodded.

"_Billy_, are you willing to take these three in until we can build another house?" He asked, gesturing to Mr. L, Sonic, and I.

"Yes, of course I would! I have plenty of room, and I can help them get started in Animal Town!" Billy said.

Tom Nook nodded again.

"It's settled, then. Mario, Mr. L, and Sonic, you should let Billy take you to his house to give you a tour and the rest. I'll leave you all be for now, but just know, I might have job later today." Tom Nook concluded, walking out the door to go back to his store.

"I should be going too," Rover said, standing up.

As he left, Billy said goodbye to Samantha and Blossom and signaled for us to follow him.

"C'mon! Let's go to my house; I'll show you around."

We walked around across a gray-stoned bridge that went to the other side of the river that flowed gently along, with birds chirping and cicada's singing to give it a very natural and peaceful sensation. Near a small waterfall in the river was another large house with a green roof.

"Here we are!" he sang happily, and walked in, forcing us to follow.

* * *

"So Peach, how do you like our house?" Samantha asked, doing a small dance with Blossom around the kitchen making some snacks, with me helping with a few things.

"I just don't understand how you girls can both live under the same roof without killing each other," I joked. Whenever I was around them, it made me feel like I was their age, and not older than I was. The three of us had become friends quickly.

Blossom and Samantha both laughed.

"Well, I think it was mainly the fact that Link here-" Samantha pointed to her cat that was named after the Hyrulian Hero. "-Kept us occupied with his begging for food."

We all laughed at her comment, and Link meowed defensively.

"I don't remember the last time I saw a cat…I think it was when I was you're age…although that makes me sound like I'm old!" I complained teasingly, and both the girls laughed again.

"I never would have thought that a Princess could be so…" Samantha said, at a loss for words.

"Kind? Open-Minded? Joyful?" Blossom suggested.

Samantha pointed at her.

"What she said."

I stopped a minute. Those were the exact words I had heard Mario describe me in a conversation with Marth and (The real) Link. Mario's opinion meant the world to me, and if these girls thought the same thing, then he probably wasn't lying, or trying to give a bad impression. I realized then that I was blushing.

"Are you…okay?" Blossom asked, lifting an eyebrow as her blue eyes turned green.

"Y-yes, I'm fine…" I said. "It's just, I keep worrying about the boys…"

"Oh, nonsense! Billy's a great guy! I know for a fact that they're okay; Billy's probably offering them a whole room for each of them by now…He's very sweet, and I trust him with my…well, I wouldn't say my life, but you get the idea." Samantha said.

Blossom suddenly looked up.

"Oh my StarClan! I forgot! Madz is coming, like _tomorrow_!" she said in a panicked voice.

"Oh my Grambi, I forgot too! We have to get so many things ready…The room, Seti, I don't know if she's bringing Lucky, but I asked her to, um…what else…?"

"Wait, wait, wait…Who's Madz?" I asked.

Both Blossom and Samantha turned to me.

"Madz is our best friend, and her family hasn't let her go to come here for anything longer than a visit, but now she can come again, and she'll live here with us! She has a Pharaoh Hound named Seti, and a cat named Lucky, but I don't know if she'll bring Lucky…Man, we have so much to do…" Blossom said. Samantha nodded in agreement.

"I could help," I said, and they both gave me thankful smiles.

"Thanks, Peach, Y'know, we owe you one…" Samantha seemed breathless with relief.

So we worked, and I learned how to use the walls, flooring, and the items which were complicated. We cleared out a room which had been recently used by a visitor in the town, and all we had to do was style it so, as Blossom and Samantha said, 'It would suit Madz', with black, red, and white colors all over.

After we were done, we all sat in the living room listening to a song played by a dog named 'K.K.'. I didn't get it, I just knew he was a famous musician who came sometimes.

"So," Samantha started. "That one man…I can't remember his name…It was Mr. Something…"

"Mr. L," I corrected.

"Yeah, Mr. L! I think he kinda cute."

There was an awkward moment of silence.

"That was…random," I said.

Samantha laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I didn't think before I said that…"

"If it were up to me, I think the one in red is shy," Blossom chimed, stroking her chin curiously.

"You mean Mario? He is a bit shy sometimes, but he never fails to save me from the evil tyrant named Bowser in my kingdom."

"You mean…He's a hero, basically? Like Link?"

"Yes. Mario, Mr. L, Sonic, Link, and all of those other heroes are close friends, actually."

"Wait…I thought this was just a man named Mario, but you're talking about THE Mario?" Blossom exclaimed.

I nodded.

"So that means Mr. L is awesome!" Samantha said, out of the blue.

Both Blossom and I stared at her.

"ANYway, as I was saying, Madz really admires Mario for some reason…You'll see what I mean tomorrow, but she has no idea he's here…She also thinks you're really cool, too!" Blossom said.

I smiled. Maybe these girls were going to be a lot more fun to be around than I thought before.

"You said you liked Mr. L?" I asked Samantha.

"YES."

"I can have him meet up with you tomorrow with Madz if you like. Although I doubt it'll be easy to find Mario…"

"Why?"

"He likes to know his surroundings, so he'll probably be exploring somewhere, or something else to avoid everyone..."

They both looked like they wanted to ask questions, but they gave up.

I secretly hoped Mario would be trying to explore; it was cute in my opinion to watch him look around and get used to where he was staying for the time being.

I would have pondered this thought further had sleep not seemed so striking at the moment.

**Well, then…Kinda boring and long, but at least you have the information you need! Yes, I will be alternating Mario and Peach's point of view AGAIN, but oh well…**

**May the stars shine down on you…**

**~Fezzes64**


	3. I'm just gonna go fishing

Chapter 3: I'm just gonna go fishing

I woke up really early (4-o-clock), anxious to start getting ready. Silently sliding out of bed, and creeping past everyone else, I looked at Billy to make sure he was sleeping. He was the only one that I didn't know really well; therefore I had to make sure I was awake first. As usual, Sonic and Mr. L were fast asleep still, and were probably going to get up at the first signs of dawn.

I opened and closed the door noiselessly and went downstairs to the living room, looking at the clever mixture of different themes. There was a round, purple carpet, and a bright blue couch, with assorted darker colors throughout the rest of the furniture to make the air seem calm, and tranquil. Ignoring the temptation to just sit and relax, I moved to the kitchen.

I thought of how much better it would be if Luigi were here; he always took joy in cooking, and I could see the similarities that he had with Billy. Nevertheless, I had to get to work.

I felt slightly guilty for using what wasn't mine, but I came to the conclusion that Billy would appreciate it, and I began making breakfast. As noiselessly as humanly possible, I proceeded to make eggs and bacon, with some coffee, which I found the perfect hazelnuts for.

As soon as I had made enough for four, I ate my share and set the other three in the oven to remain warm. I wrote a note on a piece of paper, and left it posted on the oven so it was noticeable, and slipped out the door. Time to get moving.

* * *

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey," I said, gently shaking Blossom and Samantha.

Samantha gave a teasing groan and opened her eyes, while Blossom hugged a pillow to her chest after sitting up and rubbing her blue eyes that turned green in the morning light.

"I made breakfast," I hinted, tilting my head toward the other room. Samantha took a big sniff, and smiled.

"Mmmm…pancakes…" she said, her eyes shining with longing.

"Is that…waffles…?" Blossom asked, dazed, and apparently tired, a stoic expression on her face confirming so.

"You said Madz was coming at around noon?" I asked, my expression turning serious.

"Yeah…what time is it…?" Samantha seemed to mutter the question vaguely.

"It's about Nine-o-clock," I said. I didn't blame them for sleeping a bit late; we were up until at least 11 last night.

Samantha shot up out of bed.

"Oh, my grambi…she also said she might be a bit early…I said we'd be waiting for her by the bus stop! _Man_, I overslept…"

Blossom still blinked tiredly, and I reached for her glasses and out them on her face.

The three of us walked into the dining room, and I sat them down, serving them their meals. The three of us ate in silence, letting the breeze from an open window play with our hair and savoring the tastes of a good feast.

"This is really good, Peach," Blossom murmured, taking a sip of apple juice and taking a small bite of muffin.

"Thanks, Blossom. Now, I did something else this morning, since you said Madz was bringing at least one of her pets."

I gestured to the two cushions in the corner of the room, on big, and one slightly smaller.

"I found these in the recycle in town hall earlier, and I thought that Link and Lucky could share one, and Seti could take the other."

Samantha whistled, impressed, and Blossom smiled widely.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that, Peach! Madz'll love it!"

Soon, we were on our way to the bus stop, and only stopping to alert Tom Nook of Madz's arrival, we made it in plenty of time. The bus would be there in ten minutes, at the most.

I was lucky to catch sight of Mario, who had been moving from tree-to-tree exploring as I had predicted. We shared a small glance at each other before he leapt away, straight over the river, and ran off to continue his little adventure.

Before I knew it, the bus arrived, and the doors opened, and a dog was revealed at the door, apparently too big to carry. He was slightly smaller than that of a greyhound, and he was a golden-brown color, except for a white tip on his tail. He had a long snout, a pinkish nose, and his ears…his ears looked like that of an ancient Egyptian jackal; tall, and almost rabbit-like, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of amber.

The dog's ears and nose seemed to blush with happiness, and he bounded down the steps of the bus toward us, yipping happily. As he reached me, he attempted to jump on me, and missed, but ended up hitting me with his madly-wagging whip-like tail.

"Seti! Lucky!" shouted a voice from the bus, as a black and white cat leapt down the bus stop.

A girl appeared in the doorway, smiling apologetically at us.

* * *

"Hey, thanks for the breakfast, Mario!" Billy said happily as I came inside.

I nodded vaguely, and went to fetch the fishing rod. I planned on learning to use it today, but for now, I needed to see if Peach was okay, although she seemed fine when I passed her by the bus stop…

"Hey, Mario, you should come with us; I'm going to introduce you three to the neighbors, and I know they'll be happy to meet you…well, maybe not Del, but still…"

"Hey, Billy," Mr. L said. "How come only you and those girls are human while everyone else is animals?"

Before Billy could answer, Sonic spoke.

"Do you have a problem with it? Look at me!"

"Well, I knew about you."

"Oh, so that makes me unimportant then?"

"Maybe it does!"

"Why are you asking then, if you know someone like me?"

"Because I wanted to!"

"Sonic! Mr. L! Hush for a minute, okay?" I interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore.

Billy gave a sheepish smile, as if not wanting to intrude, but led us outside anyway.

"We'll be visiting Gladys first, and she's really nice. Be careful, she'll probably want to make you tea, or something…"

And so we walked over to a house near an area with many trees, with purple roofing and white fencing. It actually looked pretty comfortable for the most part. Billy knocked on the door, and an ostrich with black and grey on its body and with a little red on its head answered the door.

"Billy! How are you? Are these the new neighbors?" I guessed she was female by her voice.

"I'm fine, thanks, and yes, this is Mario, Mr. L, and Sonic."

We went on meeting all the neighbors, which had odd personalities, one who was really mad for interrupting his 'nap', immediately ushered us out of the house. Another went on and on about how many laps and crunches he did a day. Finally, I sat out at the window, looking at a small butterfly that landed on a flower just outside. As I looked up, I saw a girl racing past with a panicked expression. Startled, I stood up and watched.

She couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen, judging by her height. She had dirty-blonde hair, with a white hairband that kept it in a pony-tail. She was oddly dressed, although I could hardly say that, after hearing what people said about me. She wore black and white running shoes, jeans that fit her perfectly, yet only just came over her knees, a black T-shirt, and a red hoodie that was rolled up at the sleeves over her elbows. I think the oddest part of it all was her black fingerless gloves.

She was looking for something, that much I could tell, and she seemed slightly scared that she couldn't find it. I realized she was holding a package labeled with Tom Nook's symbol, and I guessed she was doing some jobs for him.

Then, out of nowhere, Blossom and Samantha came, and started talking with her. They pointed at Billy's house, and she carefully walked to the door. As soon as I heard the knock, Billy came racing through the house to answer the door. He opened it, and the girl stood there with the package held out.

"Madz!" Billy shouted happily, and accepted the package.

"Hey, Billy…Um…so this is your house? I like it!" said the girl.

"You can come in if you want to; some new people moved in, and are staying here for now, so, come in, and relax!"

At that moment, I walked into view of the girl, right behind Billy, and she froze, her eyes locked on me, and her face went pale. Billy was about to ask her what was wrong, but she spoke first.

"U-uh, s-sorry, Billy, but I-I have t-to get Tom Nook's jobs d-done…" She had hardly finished the sentence before she raced off.

Billy was perplexed, and, turning to me, he shrugged.

"Hm…I really have no idea what scared her…"

"I think it was me," I said.

"I don't think so…maybe she saw a bug or something?"

"She froze up when she saw me, and she even made eye contact."

"Oh."

* * *

"So, you're finished?" I asked.

"For the day, yes." Madz replied, although she seemed a bit shaken. Billy's package was the last thing she had to get delivered, so she had come back here.

"Madz, is something wrong?" Samantha asked.

"Not really-"

"Madz, you're pale." Blossom said.

"Oh, fine. I saw someone at Billy's house." Madz huffed.

"Who-Oh…right, yes…" Samantha apparently knew.

"Who?" I asked.

Madz looked at me in disbelief.

"I thought you of all people would know…" She turned to Samantha and Blossom. "WHY didn't you tell me that THE. MARIO. Moved here?"

"We all got here yesterday, actually," I explained.

Madz's face met comprehension.

"Hey…" Blossom said. "I think the fishing contest is soon…Madz, I think you'll do awesome; the best we've seen is an arapaima…"

Madz's face lit up.

"Really? Man, that reminds me! I have to go fishing today! Tom Nook said he's looking to buy some fish, so I need to get busy!" she raced out the door without another word, possibly eager to halt any conversation about Mario.

Blossom, Samantha, and I all exchanged a glance.

"I…I think I'll join Madz; Y'know, to make sure she's okay…" Blossom said, walking out the door, no urgency showing.

Samantha thought for a minute.

"Do you want to go Bug-catching?" she asked after a moment.

"Uh…sure…?"

"C'mon, I'll show you how to use the net. At this time of day, there should be some Jewel beetles out; they sell for some bells."

"Bells?"

"_Bells_ are what we use as money. They're similar to coins, but we just call them bells."

"Ah."

Samantha led me outside, to a spot in a tree-thickened area, and pointed to a branch.

"See that greenish-goldish thing? That's a Japanese beetle, better known as the Jewel beetle."

It was a pretty little bug; although I can't say that bugs existed in the Mushroom Kingdom, so this fascinated me. From what I heard, Samantha made a hobby out of catching bugs, and Madz did just about everything but that. Her specialty was fishing.

"Wait…I thought Apples were the main fruit here?" I suddenly asked, pointing at a Banana tree, an Orange tree, and a Cherry tree.

Samantha nodded.

"Madz used to bring some foreign fruit whenever she came for visits, and we spread all the trees around, so we are a multi-fruit community. I always had a big supply of coconuts, so that's why there are all the palm trees at the beach."

"That's actually pretty cool."

* * *

Boredom. Not only was it to be feared, but it was to be loved as well, for some purposes, depending on how you look at it. I rather enjoyed boredom when it meant a break from running around everywhere, but in this case, I would much rather be doing _something_.

I was sitting in a tree, and watching people walk past, oblivious to my being there, and just when I was thinking about moving around once more, I spotted two girls, Blossom, and the other girl I didn't really know, over at the beach. Billy told me her name was 'Madz', which I figured was a nickname, judging by the fact that I had never heard it before. Both of them had taken their shoes and socks off, and Blossom had rolled up her jeans so they could walk around in the wet sand. It appeared they were fishing.

They had a big load, and I could tell by the multiple containers for fish, and just as I saw Blossom pull in what looked like a Sea Bass, I followed Madz's accusing gaze to a fin sticking up out of the water.

This caused me to shoot out of the tree and stand bolt-straight by the side of the house, spying on them. She didn't really think she could pull that in, did she? My question was answered as Madz cast out near the fin, and it advanced toward her.

I began walking briskly to them, seeing if she really was going to catch it, not wanting either of them to strain themselves. Blossom had spotted what Madz was after, and cheered her on, saying something that sounded like "You've only caught one once, right?" Then, the bait went under.

Madz pulled on the reel, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she began the struggle with whatever fish it was. I sped up my pace, worried for both of them. I knew a fish that size would be stronger than both the girls combined, and I could tell when Madz's face began to show signs of worry. Blossom saw this too, and started pulling with Madz. The fish steadily started pulling harder, causing both of the girls to slide closer to the water. By now, I was sprinting full out, adrenaline rushing through my veins.

Just as I arrived, the big fish gave a jerk, causing both the girls to cry out. Madz wasn't giving up though, and kept a firm hold.

I came in between the both of them, and got a tight grip on the rod, and just as the fish was about to pull the three of us in the water, I gave a final heave, and a shark flew out if the water.

The beast landed right on top of me as I shoved the girls to safety, and I began combat against the shark's struggle. Both the girls gasped as they realized who I was, what the shark was, and its size. At their cries, Peach and Samantha appeared at the edge of the water, running toward us, and I warned them to stay out of the tussle.

Finally, I had pinned it to the ground, sort of straddling its back and keeping its face under water in order not to suffocate. I was breathing heavily; the shark had put up a fair fight.

Madz was pale again, and Blossom was hugging her tightly. Peach had her eyes wide open in surprise, and Samantha was squeezing her hand, also scared. Somehow, Blossom found the strength to let go of Madz and come over to me.

"I-is it…dead?" she asked.

"No…" I breathed, hardly able to talk.

As if to emphasize its point, the shark gave a violent squirm, nearly making me lose my hold.

Peach finally shook out of her daze, and ran over to help.

"Samantha," she instructed. She was quick to report. "Get Billy, Sonic, and Mr. L, and after that, get something to put the shark in; Blathers should see this."

Samantha nodded once, and raced off to do as she was told. Peach signaled for Blossom to go with her, who made no complaint.

"Madz,"

"Y-yes, P-Peach?"

"Go get Blathers."

"Y-yes, ma'am." She didn't need much convincing, and raced off.

Almost as soon as Madz left, Billy, Sonic, Mr. L, Samantha, and Blossom came, and Mr. L helped keep the shark steady, although I held my position, refusing to move. Samantha brought a gigantic tank and filled it with ocean water, with the help from Sonic, who helped her drag it sideways into the sea. After the tank was set, Madz came back with an owl. I guessed he was Blathers.

"WOT WOT?" he exclaimed, as soon as he caught sight of the shark. "Hootie hoo…I'll be…A shark!"

I didn't look up from the shark, and began moving him toward the tank. It attempted to swim away, but I didn't give up that easily; I held on and forced it into the tank, keeping it trapped until I put the lid on.

After that, we all dragged the tank out of the water, and just as I thought we would have to drag it elsewhere, Blathers held up a wing, and the entire tank shrank to a small green leaf with a shark imprinted on it.

"Ah, there, see? Now, you are donating it, yes?" Blathers asked Madz.

Madz blinked at him a minute before gesturing to me.

"I-it's not my decision; it's his."

There were a couple of questions, but Madz held up her hands. Then, she explained how the shark was going to pull both herself and Blossom into the water, but then I came out of nowhere and saved them both. Everyone looked at me.

"N-no, it's hers; she was the one w-who had wanted t-to catch it-"

"Of course it's yours, Mario, you were the one who pulled it out of the water," Blossom argued, pointing at the shark.

"B-but-"

"She's right, Mario," said Billy.

"Wha-"

"Yeah, the shark's yours," Sonic said.

Mr. L nodded in agreement.

"Traitors…" I mumbled under my breath.

"So, what of the shark?" Blathers asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You can keep it, sell it to Nook's, or donate it to the museum." Blossom listed, counting to three on her fingers.

"I'll donate it." I blurted, since that's what seemed to be the best choice.

**LONGNESS! At least it's a time killer…I had a hard time getting through it, though. So…I'll have special moments for all the characters, and I'll have the rest of the neighbors introduced…eventually…But yes, Mario has decided to donate the shark. What did you think of the fight? **

**May the stars shine down on you…**

**~Fezzes64**


End file.
